Africa Today News, New York has reported that since the Taliban had swept back to power in Afghanistan in August last year, hundreds of the fighters and other taliban soldiers have finally returned to school either on their own or those who have been pushed by their commanders.
Most Taliban fighters were educated in these madrassas, where studies are largely limited to the Koran and other Islamic themes. Many conservative Afghan clerics — particularly among the Taliban — are sceptical of more modern education, apart from subjects than can be applied practically, such as engineering or medicine.
“The world is evolving, we need technology and development,” said Jalali, who planted bombs for five years but is now among a dozen Taliban studying computers at the transport ministry.
The desire of fighters like Jalali to go back to school shows Afghans yearned for education, government spokesman Bilal Karimi said.
“Many motivated mujahideen who had not completed their studies reached out to educational institutions and are now studying their favourite courses,” he told AFP.
But education is a hugely problematic issue in the country, with secondary school girls barred from classes since the Taliban returned to power — and no sign of them being allowed back despite promises from some in the leadership.
While the earlier curriculum largely remains the same, studies on music and sculpture have been scrapped at schools and universities, which are suffering a paucity of teachers and lecturers following an exodus of Afghanistan’s educated elite.